FAMILY DOG

Tomato juice or vinegar will not get rid of the smell and will harm eyes. Here is a simple, veterinary-tested way to get rid of skunk odor with ordinary household items.

Dog Sprayed By Skunk?

How To Safely De-Stink A Dog

Been Skunked? How to get skunk odor off your dog or any pet, or yourself! The offensive smell isn't easy to get rid of but here's what to use and what not to use.

If your pet has ever challenged a skunk, you will be grateful for a real, doctor-recommended way to get rid of the horrible odor.  And if you have handled the sprayed pet, you may want to use this safe odor removal trick on yourself!

There has been a lot of research on the skunk’s defensive secretion responsible for the odor. No doubt perfume companies would like to unlock the secret of the chemical that makes it last so long.

The skunk's distinctively rotten smell is technically named trans-2-butene-1-thiol. To rid of the stink the skunk's spray compound has to be neutralized and the old tomato juice routine just doesn’t work.

When cats meet a skunk, bathing is a little more difficult but the same formula applies and it will get rid of the smell.

If your dog is large and unlike this beautiful white Akita, not used to being bathed, restrain him outside while you assemble a large container of warm water, a water hose, and large towels. Double coated breeds like the Akita, Malamute, Husky or Chow will have to be bathed and rinsed twice if the skunk spray has penetrated or been rubbed into the coat.

If the dog has been sprayed in the face or is rubbing his eyes, immediately rinse-rinse-rinse the face with cool water.  If you have eye wash, use it!!!  If not, use table salt to make a very diluted eyewash.

Why not use vinegar or tomato juice for skunk odor?

Vinegar and tomato juice are acidic and skunk spray needs an alkaline mixture, something the average person would not know. That is why this slightly alkaline skunk bath neutralizes the offending chemicals in the skunk's stinky secretion.

To wash the dog's body, don't waste time with regular doggy shampoo.  It will not remove skunk spray.  In a container, mix one teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap, ¼ cup of ordinary baking soda, and one quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide. Wet the dog thoroughly, right to the skin.  Then work the mixture through the coat so that it lathers, letting it soak on the animal (or yourself but it may discolor clothing) for two minutes, and then rinse, rinse, rinse.

Towel or blower-dry, groom as usual and rest assured your pet will avoid future encounters with a skunk!

Another method to remove odor from a "skunked" dog is to bathe that animal in a tub using Massengill's Douche solution!  One reader said "it took 4 boxes to do a dog the size of our 90 lb greyhound but it worked!"  One day after his unfortunate encounter with the skunk, followed by the Massengill's bath, Ch Shazam's The Journey Begins was BEST IN SHOW!

This tip on removing skunk odor came from Kim and Colin Fritzler, Windrock Sighthounds who says they first heard about it from a taxidermist.  They subsequently shared the skunk-smell remedy with the Colorado Division of Wildlife and Kim says "it has had hundreds of applications on all kinds of dogs, kitties, pot bellied pigs, etc., and it really does work."

If you have a tip on bathing or grooming your dog, send it to Design@TheDogPlace.org

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